RotG: The Tempest
by Baron Von Fang
Summary: 2 years since Pitch Black was banished back into his lair, but he's back and wants revenge! Now, he has a plan to utterly destroy the Guardians. This time, they need help from another youthful spirit, and one who may have a bigger role in Pitch's plan than they realize... (PS; JackXTooth pairing is in here cuz' i like it) Read, Review, and above all, ENJOY! -The Baron
1. Prologue: Vennice 1515

A/N: First RotG fanfic, I own nothing, bla, bla, bla, yak, yak, yak, disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer.

Read, Review and above all, enjoy!

-The Baron

Rise of the Guardians:

The Tempest

Prologue

Venice, Italy, 1515

I awoke face down in a field that stretched far off into the horizon. I tried to push myself up, but my wiry arms were too weak, and I fell on my face. I tried again; same result. And again, and again, and… well, you get the point. Finally, I managed to get on my knees at least. I tried to remember what I was doing there, but couldn't. Scratch that, I couldn't remember **anything.** I looked around and saw that there wasn't anything for miles around, nothing I recognized anyways…. There where clouds looming overhead, dark and ominous, yet, I wasn't afraid, even though they seemed to be circling around me, like vultures circling their prey.

I managed to stand, although barely, and looked around once more, but the dark field held no answers for me. I then noticed something that should've been obvious to me; a tree right behind me. I had a sudden urge to climb it, and without even realizing it, I did! I could barely stand up, and yet I climbed a tree without even thinking about it? The clouds above me broke apart, releasing a massive storm! Wind howled, rain poured down like a waterfall, thunder screamed and lightning flashed, and for no apparent reason, I enjoyed every moment of it!

When the wind howled, so did I! When the rain poured down, I drank it! I screamed louder than the thunder and yelled at the lightning, challenging its might! The storm must've heard me, because a bolt of lightning struck me square in the chest. The sheer force alone knocked out two teeth! I fell onto the ground, but somehow, was perfectly fine! I touched my chest to see if it was still there. I noticed his teeth lying on the ground and went to pick them up, but a flash of pink and green beat him to it, leaving behind a…coin?

I was immensely confused about everything going on; I didn't even realize I was glowing until I disappeared in a flash of lightning. I then reappeared a mile north of the lone tree in the field. I didn't have time to think on this until I disappeared and reappeared an extra mile from the tree, but due south of it. This kept happening for 3 minutes without stopping! By the end of it, I was so tired I fell on his knees again. My head hung limp facing my stomach, and I noticed I had stopped by a small pond.

My throat was parched, so I bent down for a drink. I stuck my hand into the water, but when I pulled my hand to my face, it was gone! I yelled in surprise, and looked into the water to try and find it. I stuck my other hand in the pond to try and fish it out, but only managed to bring out a handful of pond water. Strangely enough, the water flowed up my arm, across my back and onto my other wrist, forming a water-y hand, which then took the color and shape of my hand before it fell off!

I felt it to see if it was solid, and not only was it solid; it looked identical in every way to my old hand! I decided to drink directly from the pond (Although what I would do if my mouth fell off is a mystery to me). I took a huge gulp of the cold, clear water, and felt instantly revived! I wanted to drink more, but a voice that I almost recognized told me otherwise:

'Drink too much, and you'll get sick' the voice said. I looked around for whoever said that but there was no one around. I looked at the pond again, and saw my reflection; it was a kind face, a gentle smile, eyes as blue as the sky. From the minor facial hair, I assumed I was slightly post-pubescent, but a proper age? That memory was still as clouded as the sky above him. I looked down at my clothes, and saw that they were torn, my shirt especially, they were more like rags than clothes. My pants were a light shade of brown, the shirt's color faded, probably from too much use.

My limbs were slim and wiry, like the rest of my physique. I was rather skinny, with not much fat or flab. Only when I was looking at my stomach, did I realize my skin had a faint glow to it, which was rather strange. The glow gradually grew brighter, and I was afraid I would disappear again, but this glow felt nice and warm, like a hug. I turned around to see where it was coming from, but it seemed the light was coming from everywhere! Then I looked up, and the light was even more intense than before!

I tried to back away from it, but I couldn't move! I tried forcing my feet with my hands, but only then did I realize I was floating! I panicked, and flung my arms around, but it was no use! Then, a voice from above spoke to me; "Your name is Raymond. People will know you as The Rain-man. Go forth now spirit of storms." I looked at the source of the voice, but I only saw the moon. The light faded, and I was placed gently on the ground.

I noticed there was a mask, a tweed jacket, and a pair of gloves without their fingers lying in front of me. I got the feeling I needed to wear them. So I stretched my arms into the jacket, put on the gloves, and donned the mask. I didn't know what exactly I was meant to do, why that voice was coming from the moon, or even who I was, but I had to start somewhere. Almost on instinct, I lifted my head to the sky, felt that the wind was coming from the north, and started running south. After hours of running and running, I finally made it to a small settlement.

I looked out of place with my tweed jacket, leather gloves, and masquerade-styled mask. I had hoped this town would have some connection with my past, that something or someone would jog my memory, but alas my hopes were in vain, for no one in the town knew me. No children ran to me, no worried mother came over to hug me; in fact no one seemed to even notice me! I waved his hands in front of people but they took no notice. I got so frustrated, I walked in front of someone, but they just walked right trough me!

Of all the strange things I had seen, this took the prize for strangest. I was scared out of my mind! I walked in front of someone else, same result! I grew so fearful; I fell on my knees and started crying. Curiously enough, as I started crying, the town became covered in clouds, and a downpour started! Everyone went inside for shelter. 'Good' I thought 'it's not like anyone cared about me anyways'. Thunder crashed and a scream came from my right. I ran to the house and saw there was a little boy crying, in the arms of his mother.

"Shh…"said the mother. "It's okay, it's just thunder"

"But it's scary!" the boy protested.

"Shh…you need to be strong! Your father would want you to be strong!" the boy cried even more after hearing this. I didn't know what I was doing but I found myself patting the boy's back, comforting him.

"Where is daddy mommy?" asked the boy. His mother put her finger to the boy's chest.

"He's right here" said the mother "when you love someone, even if their gone, they'll stay in your heart forever." I put my arm around the boy's shoulders, though I didn't know why. I just felt a strange connection with the boy. Even when the mother left, I stayed with him for the rest of the night. When morning finally arrived, I left the house.

I am The Rain-Man. How do I know this? The moon told me. But that's all he ever did tell me.

End of Prologue


	2. the New Guardian

A/N: I have Jamie here as 10 but that's because I think he's 8 in the movie, and this is two years after

-The Baron

RotG: The Tempest

Ch 1: The new Guardian

POV: Jack

Burgees, Minnesota; 2015

It was a snow day in the town of Burgees, the kids were building snow forts, snow angels, and yes, snowmen. This was all a blessing to them after weeks of school work. They all worked hard studying for their tests and quizzes (*cough* NOT! *cough*) and they deserved a break! As the children played in the snow, I, Jack Frost looked on with a mischievous smirk on my face. I loved giving the kids snow days, for me, It was the best part of being a Guardian! I noticed Jamie, a young 10-year old boy was sitting alone, reading a book on cryptids (or creatures that have yet to be proven real.).

Seeing him sitting all alone, I got an idea. I bent down and picked up a clump of snow. I molded it into a snowball and breathed some of my magic into it. I readied my arm and tossed the snowball at Jamie hitting his head. He looked around to see who threw it and noticed his friend Pippa innocently walking around. He picked up a clump of snow and tossed it at her. She thought it was Monty and…well you get the idea. Pretty soon, all the kids of Burgees were in a huge snowball fight. I decided to join in, and created more ammo for the kids to use, and even threw some myself. By sunset, everyone was tired and went home.

I went to each of the kid's houses to make sure they weren't having any nightmares. Even though the Guardians defeated Pitch Black 2 years ago, I wasn't going to take any chances. I first checked on Cupcake because she was one of the first children to be harmed by Pitch. Dreamsand flew through her window and gave her a pleasant dream about riding horses. I then went to Pippa's house. It was the same there, aside from the 'Riding horses' part. Monty was also safe, same with Caleb and Claude. Last but not least, I checked in on Jamie and Sophie Beckett.

Two years ago, Jamie was the last child in the world to believe in the Guardians; the last light. I helped Jamie to believe in me, and the other Guardians. His friends believed also, and with their help, we defeated Pitch. It seemed to be just yesterday, but was it actually 2 years? Time was weird to Immortals, because we'll never die. Dreamsand flowed through the window and tapped Jamie on the nose. I waited for the dream to turn into a nightmare, but it never did. I decided it was safe for Jamie to be left alone to sleep. I went to Sophie's room and as soon as I opened the door…

"AHHHH!" Sophie screamed awake, nearly giving me a heart attack. Mrs. Beckett ran into her room along with Jamie.

"What happened honey?" Mrs. Beckett asked. Jamie, who could see me, looked to me. I mouthed one word; nightmare

"I had a bad dream mommy! There was the Easter Bunny, Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Sandman, there was also a big bad man in black, he laughed, and…they…" Sophie burst into tears "they…were eaten…by fire!" she said through sobs. Mrs. Beckett and Jamie stayed there, comforting her, but I left. I had to tell The Guardians; Pitch was back.

First, I went to the Guardian that could confirm my fears; Sandy. Since he was the one who gave people dreams, he would know If Sophie had a nightmare. Although it would be difficult to tell what he was trying to say, since he doesn't speak, but rather uses Dreamsand as a sort of game of Charades. In any case, I flew to Sandy's Dreamsand 'ship' (I say that in air quotes because it can turn into anything Sandy wants, but he prefers a boat, or ship if you will.). When I got there, Sandy was delivering dreams to everyone as usual, but something was…different.

"Hey, Sandy!" I called out. The Sandman turned around. "We've got a little problem." I explained Sophie and her dream. When I was finished, Sandy looked out at the city below them.

"So…" I said "Any thoughts?" Sandy beckoned me to follow him. He led me down to the hull of the ship. In what I guessed was the cargo bay, Sandy pulled out a small cage made of Dreamsand. Inside, was a miniature black twister made of sand.

"Is that…Nightmare sand?" I asked. Sandy nodded glumly. Through a long game of Charades, Sandy explained he caught this sand the previous night.

When I asked why he didn't tell the Guardians, Sandy shrugged and explained that he told North, but he wanted evidence, and that Sandy would've brought it to him tonight, but I had informed him of another Nightmare, so he got sidetracked. Sandy then went to the wheel of the ship, and started a course for the North Pole.

*5 minutes later*

"VAT!?" yelled North. "PITCH IS VAT!?"

"Back. Read my lips; B-A-C-K, Back!" I said

"I don't believe it! The last time we defeated Pitch, it took him centuries to return; now you're telling me he's returned after TWO YEARS!?"

"YES! Why don't you believe me? We've got proof!"I said as he held up the cage with the Nightmare sand. North sighed.

"Sorry Jack, it's just hard to believe! I thought we would have more time till he came back, but I guess not." North grabbed a switch, twisted it, and pushed it down, creating the Aurora borealis, the northern lights. "We're going to have company." A few minutes later, E. Aster Bunnymund and Toothina arrived at the pole.

"Seriously North, would it kill you to put in a door mat? Bunny complained

"Incisors at 3051 maple ave., molars at 8326 copper drive…" Tooth told her fairies. I could tell she wasn't really paying attention.

"Ahem…" I said trying to get everyone's attention, but they were all 'preoccupied'. North and Bunny were arguing, Tooth was busy blurting out street addresses, and Sandy was…well…he's the Sandman, what do you think he was doing? I was growing really frustrated, so I slammed my staff against the ground, causing a shockwave of cold air to hit everything and everyone in the room. Bunny and North stopped arguing, Tooth stopped saying random addresses, even Sandy woke up from his nap (surprise surprise!)

"We have bigger things to talk about than door mats! Pitch is back!" silence filled the room. Bunny looked at North with raised eyebrows. North nodded. Suddenly, a warm, soft glow enveloped the room The Guardians looked up at the skylight, where the moon was glowing bright. The moonlight shined on the floor, were a blue crystal emerged. The Moonlight flooded into it.

"Vat is it Manny?" asked North. The moonlight in the crystal refracted itself into the image of a short tubby man with a single hair on his head, curled like a baby. The man also held a scepter with a crescent moon on the top. The small man smiled.

"Hello my Guardians" he said. I turned to ask North who the man was, but he was kneeling. Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy were kneeling also. I was confused, but I kneeled anyways. "Oh you don't need to kneel really! It's embarrassing me!" the Guardians rose to their feet. "Jack is right though, there are more important things to discus rather than door mats!" the small man said, looking at Bunny, who put his hands up defensively.

"Excuse me, but who is this guy?" I asked. Everyone stared at me, like I had just asked 'Excuse me, but could I have a weasel?'

"Jack, this is-" Tooth was cut off

"Tsar Lunar, at your service" the tubby man said, taking a bow. "Though, you may know me as, The Man in the Moon." my eyes lit up.

"Ohmygoshiamsosorry!" I said. I didn't realize there was an _actual _Man in the Moon!

"It's alright my young friend! It was a simple misunderstanding! But now back to business!" MiM said "As you may know, Pitch has indeed returned! I feared this day would come, but I just hoped it wouldn't come so soon!"

MiM walked over to the crystal, and muttered something under his breath. "AHAH!" He said. "Just the spirit I was looking for!" he showed the crystal to the Guardians. "This is the new Guardian I will recruit. He may be young, but he's perfect for this job!" the light around the crystal formed into the shape of a young boy. But when he appeared to the Guardians, I gasped. The boy was young, about 15-ish, he wore a tweed jacket, a pair of gloves without their fingers, but the most curious article of clothing, if you could call it that, was the masquerade-styled mask he wore.

"Raymond…" I breathed.

"You know this guy jack?" Tooth asked.

"It was centuries ago, but yeah, we were friends."

Sandy made a question mark, indicating he wanted more information. I sighed

"You may want to sit down, this is a long story." And so, I began to recall the story of how I met Raymond.

Burgees Minnesota, 1815

I was walking glumly through the town of Burgees, with children passing right through me. It had been over 100 years since I became a spirit, and yet, I still didn't know why I existed, or even who I was! I heard a rumbling overhead; a storm was brewing.

Did I care if it was cloudy or sunny? Of course not! At the moment, I just wanted at least _one _person to see me. Little did I know that soon I would meet that very person! I walked through the forest behind the town. Lightning flashed, and there was a scream. I looked around to find the source, and found a young man, about 15, lying on the ground beneath a tree.

"Are you alright?" I asked, and then remembered the guy probably couldn't hear me

"Yes, I fell out of a tree, and I'm perfectly fine!" the guy said sarcastically. I started to walk off, but then stopped dead in my tracks; the guy had _responded_ to me. I ran back over to him.

"CANYOUSEEME!?" I stammered. The guy looked at me with pure shock and disbelief on his face.

"Can….can you? See me, I mean?" he asked. I nodded with my mouth hanging open. The boy stood up. "You….YOU CAN!?" the boy laughed, and jumped up into the air, higher than I thought possible. Unfortunately, he got stuck in a tree, but he didn't seem to care, he just kept on laughing.

"I didn't think anyone could see me! I thought I would be like this forever!" I said with glee.

"Same here!" the boy replied coming down from the tree. He stuck out his hand. "Raymond, at your service! Although…some call me the Rain-man." I shook his hand.

"Jack Frost, but some call me…Jack Frost…?" I replied. At that moment, a storm started above us. "Looks bad, we'd better find…huh?" I looked around, but Raymond had disappeared! I heard a yell from the tree in front of me, and realized, Raymond was yelling at the clouds! He challenged the winds might, saying "Come on!" and "Fight me!" Unfortunately, a bolt of lightning struck him. I ran to his side.

"Oh no, what do I…" but he sat up almost immediately!

"That. Was. AWESOME! Let's do it again!" he said. I had to convince him to take shelter in a cave outside town.

There, we went into more details about ourselves; I said I had been a spirit for a little over a century. he said he was made a spirit in the year 1515, exactly 300 years ago!

"I don't know exactly when I was born, but I celebrate my 'birthday' on the day I woke up in that field in Venice." He explained. After that, he said that his emotions were tied to the weather. He also explained how his weird outfit helped dampen his extreme powers.

"If I don't wear them, I'll probably Zap to and from places uncontrollably! That takes a lot out of me, but these help control those powers."

"Umm…'zap' places?" I asked.

"Sometimes, if I concentrate, I can teleport to places in a flash of lightning. I call this 'Zapping'." He explained. "But the further I am from that place, the more energy it takes to teleport there. Zapping to a location is the equivalent of running to that place without stopping! This is why I need to keep that in check."

I asked him how he got to America, and he shrugged. "I hitched a ride on a ship. It helps when you're invisible."

We kept on chatting through the night, and would've kept chatting till dawn, if we both weren't exhausted. The following morning, we agreed to travel together, since we both always wandered aimlessly. We traveled together for 35 years, until that fateful day. Raymond disappeared one morning, without saying anything! Luckily, he came back around noon. He looked sad and depressed. When I asked him what was wrong, he sighed.

"I was visited by the spirit of the winds, Aeolus. He wants me to train with him at his palace in the clouds."

"Dude, that's awesome! Did you accept?" I asked. Raymond turned away, looking at the clouds, which started pouring rain.

"I'm sorry Jack…but if I train with him….I may never see you again…" he sobbed. I was confused, but I patted him on the back anyways.

"How come?" I asked

"I….can't say…." he said, choking back tears.

"But why-"

"I JUST CAN'T! ALRIGHT!?" he yelled. I jumped back. We stood there in silence for almost an hour, until Raymond finally spoke.

"I need to do this Jack. It's the only way I can learn to control my powers. But…" he slumped down onto a log. "I'm scared. If I do this, I may have to do something impossibly dangerous, and I may not survive it." He explained. I decided it was better not to push for further questions.

"You need to do what you think is the right thing. If you feel the need to train, you should." I told him. A few moments passed, and an idea came to me "Tell you what, if you train and survive, promise to meet me at the cave where we first met, as soon as your done with training. I'll stay in Burgees and visit the cave every year on the day we met, and wait for you." Raymond started to cry.

"You're a good friend Jack, thank you." He said. He stood up and hugged me. The rain stopped, and Raymond and I broke our hug. "Promise to wait for me?" he asked.

"I promise."

"Good. I'll hold you to that!" he said jokingly. A strong breeze blew in from all directions, and Raymond looked at the sky.

"Goodbye Jack." He said. A flash of lightning struck, and Raymond was gone.

"Goodbye…."

North Pole, 2015

"I haven't seen him since" I said. North was in the corner, with his arms crossed, Tooth was kneeled next to me, a tear rolling down her cheek, and Bunny was wiping his nose on an elf. Sandy, surprisingly enough, was wide awake!

"Uhh…Jack?" asked North "Vat vas the day you and Raymond met?"

"April 28…wait…that's today!" I realized. Without missing a beat, I flew out the window

Burgees Minnesota

I arrived at Burgees about 5 minutes later. At the cave, was a young man, about 15-ish, he wore a tweed jacket, a pair of gloves without their fingers, but the most curious article of clothing, if you could call it that, was the masquerade-styled mask he wore.

"Raymond…" I breathed.

"Hello Jack" he said


	3. The Rising

RotG: The Tempest

Ch 3: The Rising

PoV: Raymond

"HE VANTS A VAT?!" yelled North

"He wants a 24-hour trial. Is that really that bad?" Jack asked. Okay, so let's back up a second. We left off...where exactly? …oh _there,_ I see. Okay, so Jack and I reunited…

*One hour ago*

"The Guardians? They want to make me one of them." I said "You're joking, right?"

"Nope!" Jack said "I don't know why, but the Man in the Moon thinks you're ready to become a Guardian!"

I sighed again "Alright, but only for a day! If the Guardians fail to give me a good reason to be one of them within 24-hours, I'm going back to being a hermit."

*Now*

North sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Alright, a twenty-four hour trial run." He said

"You can't be serious!" yelled Bunny "He's reckless, irresponsible-"

"Wasn't I at first?"Argued Jack

"Yes, but that's-"

"Exactly why we need him!" interrupted Jack "No offense, but you guys are really stiff and stuck up! This group needs some irresponsibility" Sandy nodded, and so did Tooth. North agreed as well. Bunny crossed his arms and muttered something about 'old snowmen'.

"Alright," said North "Let's talk strategy" All the Guardians and I gathered around the crystal.

"We don't know exactly where Pitch is, but Sandy and I sent out scouts to look for him." Said Tooth

"Alright them," said North "Tell us vhen you find something. In the meantime, I vant to talk vith Raymond."

I didn't know what he meant by talk, but Jack patted my back sympathetically, so that couldn't be good. North led me to his private work room and locked the door behind us, and I swallowed hard.

"Now, let us chat" I didn't like how he said 'chat'. He walked uncomfortably close, and I could smell the cookies on his breath.

"Rain-man, vat is your center?" I was taken aback

"What?"

"Your Center! Your core! Your reason for existence!" North said. I sighed

"If only I knew that" I said. North walked over to his desk and pulled out a Russian nesting doll.

"Look at this" he said showing me the doll, it looked remarkably like North! Whoever made this was clearly a master! "This is how you see me, no? Big, intimidating." The doll did make North look more like a bear than a man "But if you get to know me a little better," he took off the first layer, the doll now showed North with a big smile, and rosy cheeks

"You're very jolly?" I guessed.

"And…?" he said as I took off another layer, showing North with a cloak covering his face, Dracula-style. "I am mysterious" Another layer… North was cuddling with a baby reindeer. "And Caring" I took off the final layer "and at my center…"

"There is a tiny wooden baby?" I asked holding the tiny doll that did look like a baby with huge blue eyes and wrapped in swaddling clothes.

"Look closer!" North urged. I shook my head

"You got….Big eyes?" I guessed.

"YES! YES!" North yelled enthusiastically grabbing my shoulders "Big eyes that see the vonder in EVERYTHING!" he gestured to his whole workshop "Look at vat I do! I make toys for children, and ven they see the toys under their tree and in their socks, their eyes fill vith vonder! Its vat I vant to protect in children. It's my center, vat is yours?"

I looked at my gloved hands and thought about this. There wasn't really anything unique about me, all I could do was teleport. Aside from that, the only other thing about me was that I liked to climb trees during thunderstorms. What was so special about that, I didn't know. Besides, what would that give to kids? Teach them to climb trees and yell at clouds? Yeah, great idea! (Hint: that was sarcasm). At that moment, a blur of green and pink flew through the door

"North!" yelled Toothina "We've found Pitch!" North's eyes widened

"To the sleigh!" he yelled, and within five minutes, all of us were on North's sleigh. Bunny curled up and clutched the sides, while Tooth and Sandy sat calmly up front, while Jack and I sat on the back. Soon, we were off! We flew further and further south, although, at the North Pole, _everywhere _was south. North and Tooth were discussing something up front, though I couldn't hear over the wind.

"What do you think they're talking about?" I asked Jack.

"Huh…?" he said "Sorry, I was…lost in thought." I realized that he was staring at Tooth. My eyes widened in realization

"You like Tooth!" I said

"W-what? N-no, i-i…uh…" he stammered.

"Yeah, you totally do!" I said

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Jack said. We sat quiet for the next ten-ish minutes; I had a huge smirk on my face.

"Okay, yes…kind of" Jack responded

"VE ARE HERE!" North shouted. I looked around at my surroundings, and my heart nearly stopped.

We were at a large mountain with a huge crater in the center. It was almost all covered with snow, and had a large lake around it. Jack shook me out of my shock.

"Dude, you okay? You were hyperventilating!" He said.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" I lied. The truth was I really hoped I would never have to see this mountain ever again. And if Pitch was here of all places, that could only mean…

I climbed up to the front of the sleigh

"Uh…North?"

"Yes? Vat do you vant?"

"Can we hurry up?"

"Yes…land soon…" Bunny groaned from behind me

"Give me a minute to choose a spot-HEY!" he yelled as I ripped the reins from his hands.

'It's just like riding a bike' I kept telling myself. As I tried to control the reindeer, the sleigh started nose-diving to the surface.

'Too bad I never learned how to ride a bike!' were my last thoughts right before we crashed

I was lucky that we landed in snow; otherwise we would all be pancakes! I looked around to see how the others were, and it was kind of funny! North was stuck with only his head and hands free, sandy was sleeping while making a snow angel, and Bunny was stuck with only his feet above the snow! Tooth had somehow gotten free before I came to, and she was trying to pull North free. Jack, however, was too busy laughing at Bunny to help him. I couldn't help but giggle a bit myself at the sight! When we all were free, Bunny was the one who looked the most ridiculous with icicles hanging from his snout.

"Alright! Alright! It's not that funny!" he scolded us

"What are you talking about?" I asked "We're not laughing anymore!" and yet, we still heard a laughing sound from behind us. We all turned around to see Pitch Black, in all his evil majesty. (if you could call it that)

"Well well, well. If it isn't the Guardians! I must congratulate you for being able to find me!" he gave us a fake applause "Recruited another lackey to help I see?" he gestured at me. I balled my fists; if there was one thing I wasn't, it was a lackey

"I'm not their lackey!" I yelled

"Oh yes, of course! My mistake, you're the newest Guardian aren't you?" he asked "What was your name again? Drizzle-Chap?"

"Rain-Man" I corrected. A smile slowly crept up Pitch's face, though it held no amusement.

"Oh right…_you_. I have a particular interest in-"

"Sorry, I don't want to join you" I said already anticipating what he was getting at "I also know the consequences of being a Guardian. No belief equals no existence, bla bla bla…" I said while making a mouth with my hand

"Actually, that's _not_ what I was getting at." He said "I was trying to say that I have a particular interest in **destroying** **you**." He pointed to the area behind him

"If you survive, my plan is ruined!"

The whole area behind him was a giant black crater with dark spots all over it. When my eyes adjusted, I saw that these spots were Nightmares! But they were all giant worms, moles and even aardvarks! These weren't the kind of creatures Pitch used! So why were they...? A cold sensation settled over my stomach again, but this time, it was far worse! All the puzzle pieces clicked into place, and I zapped instantly to the nearest creature, and tried to stop its digging. The other Guardians rushed over to me.

"What's going on?" asked Tooth

"Destroy these Nightmares! There's no time to explain!"

And just like that, we set to work destroying the Nightmares, North with his sabers, and Bunny with his boomerangs, and Sandy with his whips. Jack, tooth and I also tried to destroy the Nightmares, but for some reason, Pitch did nothing to stop us! Instead, he laughed like a madman!

"Even if you destroy all the Nightmares, you're too late!"

I felt an immense heat from below me. When I looked down, there was a small pool of red-orange liquid that gave off steam

'Lava' I thought "This is really _really_ bad!" more pools of lava erupted from under our feet.

"Time to go!" Said Bunny. The remaining Nightmares turned back into sand and drifted, forming a giant barrier of sand around us; we were trapped! And the rapidly growing pools of lava growing around our feet didn't help to ease my nerves!

Luckily, North pulled out a snow globe from his pocket and whispered into it. He tossed it to the ground and we all jumped through the portal it created. We all landed a mile west of the crater. Just in time too! At that moment, mount saint Helens erupted! Except, all the lava was in a neat pillar that shot over 10 miles into the air. I looked at the enormous pillar of lava in horror, because I knew what it meant. _He _was coming.

From the pillar emerged two enormous wings made of lava and fire, except they were solid! The rest of the pillar re-formed into the body and head of an enormous bird. That time, I was almost certain my heart stopped for a minute or two.

"The Pheonix…" I murmured.

**A/N: sorry about that part around the beginning with the nesting doll, I know that's copyright and all, but I couldn't think of any way better to explain centers! I do not own that scene or any of the characters in this story except Rain-man and the Phoenix.**

**Also, I've gotten out of the 'funk' of this story, so im gonna take a break from writing this to write other stories. i know, i should finish this, but im just not feeling it! sorry guys!**

**-The Baron**


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